Canada: Hemp Farmers get Whole Plant Harvest Greenlight

August 14th, 2018 – The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA) announced that on August 10th, Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, and officials at Health Canada issued a decision to allow industrial hemp farmers to undertake whole plant harvest for the 2018 crop.

Health Canada’s revision of Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) allows hemp farmers to immediately collect and store industrial hemp flower, bud and leaf material. This material will be available for sale and research activities after the scheduled implementation of the Cannabis Act on October 17, 2018. These new parts are economically valuable and will provide a new source of CBD and potentially other cannabinoid products. CBD is in high demand wi

Jeff Kostuik, a field agronomist employed by Hemp Genetics International, and Chair of CHTA’s Research Committee states, “We need to experiment with harvest, preservation and storage technologies, and this exemption means we won’t waste a year – which would have been the case if we were unable to collect plant material until October 17th. We need all the time we can get to adapt equipment, devise new processes and work with buyers to meet their quality standards, “ continued Jeff. “These next two months will enable us to research the most efficient and economic ways to capture the full value of the hemp plant.”

The CHTA has worked closely with Health Canada over the past weeks bringing this matter to the forefront and identified a solution which respects the intent of the new Cannabis Act, while still allowing for a common-sense approach to the realities of hemp farming. The producers, processors, researchers and other members of the CHTA are united in complimenting Health Canada on their response to this request by the hemp industry. “From the outset, the hemp industry has been active and vocal in our attempts to reflect the needs of the industrial hemp industry,” claims Russ Crawford, President of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance. “Clearly, Health Canada has been listening, and this action reflects their understanding and support. “

The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance is a not-for-profit organization which represents over 260 growers across all 10 provinces as well as numerous processors, distributors, developers and researchers involved in Canada’s rapidly growing industrial hemp industry.